Chapter 26

After several days, Yue Fangxing finally arrived at the seaside, the first time in his life he had seen the ocean. In his previous life, due to physical limitations, he had never been to the seaside. Although he had seen the ocean in some films and videos, he had never seen it with his own eyes. In this life, he had mostly stayed near Huashan, and thus had never had the chance to see the sea. Now, seeing the ocean for the first time, he was quite excited.

Yue Fangxing stood by the sea, gazing at the vast expanse of water, where the sky and sea seemed to merge, and the waves rose and fell without ceasing. Seeing this magnificent sight, he felt a sense of liberation and let out a long, resounding cry.

Not long after, Yue Fangxing heard the distant roar of the tide, like a continuous,闷雷 (muffled thunder), which was quite terrifying. He knew that the tide was coming. The tides at the seaside were predictable, rising twice a day, at noon and midnight. At this moment, the sun was high in the sky, and it was the time for the tide to rise. The sound of the tide grew louder and louder, like the hooves of thousands of horses pounding the ground, more powerful than thunder and lightning.

Seeing the overwhelming force of the sea, Yue Fangxing's face changed. The waves were so fierce that he couldn't imagine how Yang Guo had practiced in them, let alone how he had fought against them.

After a long while, as the waves gradually subsided and the tide was about to pass, Yue Fangxing took a deep breath, put on a set of leather clothes, and walked into the sea. This leather suit was specially made to prevent the seawater from corroding his body, similar to a diving suit, and could also provide protection. There were many creatures in the sea, and if he was accidentally poisoned, it might be difficult to save him, so he had to be careful.

As soon as Yue Fangxing entered the sea, before he could steady himself, a wave came towards him. Although this wave was much smaller than the previous ones, it still felt overwhelming. Unsteady on his feet, he was immediately swept into the sea.

In a panic, Yue Fangxing quickly used the technique of "thousand-pound weight" to sink down, landing on a rock at the bottom of the sea and firmly anchoring himself. He had practiced sword techniques in water for many years and had developed a method to stabilize himself in water. Moreover, since he had learned the secret of holding his breath, he could stay underwater for longer periods. Although he was now at the bottom of the sea, he was not worried.

The surface of the sea was turbulent, but the bottom was relatively calm. Yue Fangxing thought for a moment and understood the reason: the wind and waves on the surface affected the sea less at the bottom, where there were mainly undercurrents. He felt relieved and thought that practicing here might be good, as it would help him get familiar with the environment. He slowly stabilized himself and began to practice.

He swung his hands and performed the Hanyuan Palm. This was a technique he often practiced in water to cultivate his internal energy under pressure. However, practicing in the sea was different. The force of the tides came from all directions, unlike the calmness of a pond. Although he could勉强 (barely) maintain his movements, he was often knocked off balance.

After struggling to complete a set of palm techniques, he saw that the bottom of the sea had calmed down and knew that the surface was also calm. He did not stay longer to avoid any accidents and swam back to the shore.

Over the next few days, Yue Fangxing gradually adapted and began to stabilize himself and fight against the waves to practice his sword techniques. However, his skills were not as advanced as Yang Guo's, and he could only practice for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea each day, which left him exhausted.

One day, after coming out of the waves, Yue Fangxing was extremely tired and his body ached. He had been exhausted every day for the past few days, and his body was struggling to keep up. Although the Hanyuan Gong he practiced cultivated both internal and external strength, and the Yi Jin Duan Gu Zhang (Sinew and Bone Strengthening Chapter) also strengthened his body, it was not a specialized external technique. After less than half a month, he already felt that he could not continue.

Over the past few days, Yue Fangxing began to doubt whether his practice method was correct. If he continued like this, he might not only fail to improve but also damage his body. He wondered if Yang Guo had a different method, but then he dismissed the idea. The sword techniques he had felt in the stone room were real. Could the snake gallbladder have such an amazing effect? How could Yang Guo have fought against a flood with a broken arm? Since he did not have Yang Guo's extraordinary experiences, he could not follow his methods!

Thinking about this, Yue Fangxing felt frustrated. He had come to the seaside with the hope of quickly improving his skills, but now he found that he could not use those methods. Looking at the surging waves, he grabbed his heavy sword and walked into the sea, shouting angrily at the horizon.

The sea seemed to be angered, and a huge wave came towards him. Yue Fangxing refused to retreat and tried to resist, but he was already exhausted. Not only did he lose his heavy sword, but he was also swept away by the wave.

Struck by this, Yue Fangxing became clear-headed and realized the danger. The tide had not yet passed, and if he was carried far from the shore, it would be difficult to return. He quickly tried to break free from the wave and sink to the bottom of the sea.

Although he was carried further than before, the depth of the water was not as great, and the surface waves affected the bottom more, with undercurrents constantly hitting him. He found it difficult to stabilize himself.

Yue Fangxing moved slightly, trying to find a better position to stabilize himself. Suddenly, he felt something hard under his feet, which seemed to be his sword. As a swordsman, losing his sword was a source of great sadness.

Yue Fangxing picked up his heavy sword and, as an undercurrent approached, struck it with all his might, thinking: "I can't resist the waves above, but can't I resist this undercurrent?"

However, he was already exhausted and had just struggled to break free from the wave. His strike was weak and not only failed to stop the undercurrent but also caused the sword to be pushed back. However, the undercurrent was deflected to the side.

This made Yue Fangxing pause. He thought: "Although my strike did not stop the undercurrent, it did deflect it, achieving the goal. Since this is the case, why should I resist it directly? Although I can't fight the waves like Yang Guo, if I can resist the undercurrents from all directions, the effect should be good."

With this thought, Yue Fangxing no longer struggled and began to practice. He was weak, so he did not try to push back the undercurrents but only to deflect them. This method worked well, and as he watched the undercurrents being deflected, he gained new insights, and his sword techniques became more fluid.

From then on, Yue Fangxing practiced in the depths of the sea, no longer fighting the waves. This made it much easier, and the constant pressure from all directions in the sea helped him continuously use his internal energy, which was beneficial for cultivating his internal energy and strengthening his body. He became more confident in his method.

Over time, Yue Fangxing's sword techniques changed significantly. His movements were no longer direct but fluid like the currents in the sea. The force behind his sword was no longer purely powerful but included various techniques for guiding and deflecting. Although his techniques still showed some influence from the sword techniques he had learned in the stone room, they were now distinctly different. He named this new technique the Hanyuan Sword Technique.

As the seasons changed, Yue Fangxing practiced sword techniques in the sea every day, regardless of the weather. Gradually, the sound of his sword strikes became quieter, and the heavy sword in his hand felt lighter. He knew this was a sign of improvement and worked even harder. After several months, his sword strikes were completely silent, and the heavy sword felt as light as a wooden sword.

At this point, Yue Fangxing had thoroughly grasped the essence of making the heavy feel light, and his sword techniques had reached a new level. If he could further grasp the essence of making the light feel heavy, he would not need to use a heavy sword, just like Yang Guo, who could use a wooden sword to perform powerful techniques. However, this level was not easily achieved, and Yue Fangxing had no clear idea how to reach it, so he continued to practice diligently.

Taking advantage of this breakthrough, Yue Fangxing reviewed his sword techniques. Previously, although he could use complex techniques with a heavy sword, they were not as smooth as with a regular sword, and he often used simple, powerful techniques in combat. Now that he had grasped the essence of making the heavy feel light, the heavy sword felt light in his hand, and his techniques were smooth and powerful, revealing many new insights.

However, in the Hanyuan Sword Technique, Yue Fangxing seemed to have reached a bottleneck. Although the force behind his sword became more concentrated and powerful, he could not grasp the essence of sword momentum, let alone the power of the elements. He did not know why, but assumed it was due to insufficient skill, so he focused on cultivating his internal energy, hoping to use this as a breakthrough for his sword techniques.

Over the past year, although Yue Fangxing was obsessed with sword techniques, he had made rapid progress in cultivating his internal energy under the pressure of the sea. Both the Hanyuan Gong and the Yi Jin Duan Gu Zhang had advanced significantly. The Yi Jin Duan Gu Zhang was nearly complete, making his body stronger and his meridians wider, allowing him to store more internal energy. His skill had advanced rapidly and was very stable, and his true energy was more refined. The Hanyuan Gong, although more fluid, still lacked a clear path to breakthrough. Yue Fangxing felt that something was missing from the manual, perhaps a secret not recorded in writing.

Unable to find a solution, Yue Fangxing focused on the mental techniques of the Hanyuan Sword Technique, hoping to make it similar to the Hanyuan Palm, which could cultivate internal energy while practicing. This went smoothly because he had to continuously use his internal energy to resist the water pressure while practicing in the sea. The Hanyuan Sword Technique already involved the circulation of true energy, and with the Hanyuan Palm as a reference, it became a technique that could both practice sword techniques and cultivate internal energy, which could be called a sword technique. In this process, the Hanyuan Palm also became more fluid and became a good palm technique. However, Yue Fangxing was increasingly puzzled. He felt that the Hanyuan Sword Technique should be complete, and any improvements would be minor. Why had he not grasped the essence of the Hanyuan Sword Momentum? Could it be that the technique and the momentum were not necessarily related? After much thought, he could not find an answer and had to put it aside.

At the same time, based on his cultivation of the Hanyuan Gong, Yue Fangxing initially organized a set of桩功 (zhuang gong, standing post exercises), named the Hanyuan Zhuang, which currently included three forms: the Galloping Horse Form, the Rock Form, and the Embracing Yuan Form. The Galloping Horse Form contained the essence of horse stance, allowing him to practice while moving, as fast as a galloping horse, which he had understood as a child. The Rock Form emphasized a body as solid as a rock, making him stable on any surface, which helped stabilize his lower body and practice in water. The Embracing Yuan Form was derived from the Embracing Yuan Technique, emphasizing the focus of mind, allowing him to enter a state of internal energy cultivation at any time, whether walking, sitting, or lying down. Although these were basic techniques, they were quite profound and greatly complemented the cultivation of the Hanyuan Gong.

The greatest gain from creating these techniques was that Yue Fangxing understood the essence of the Hanyuan Gong. Based on the characteristic of the Hanyuan Gong, where each movement was accompanied by internal energy, he thought of the Heart-Mind-Force Hanyuan Gong described in some novels and combined it with the martial arts principles in the Nine Yin Manual. He finally grasped the essence of the heart and mind being in harmony, the mind and energy being in harmony, and the energy and force being in harmony. He believed this was the part not recorded in the manual. If he could achieve these three points, reaching the state where the heart, mind, and energy all move together, the Hanyuan Gong would be complete.

Understanding this, Yue Fangxing practiced according to this principle, but his progress was slow, and he always felt some obstacles. However, his boxing and footwork skills improved, especially the Jade-Breaking Fist, which incorporated some principles from the Nine Yin Manual's Great Demon Fist, making it more powerful and sophisticated. His other lightness techniques and footwork also improved. However, he felt that the rapid progress he had experienced before was no longer possible. He understood that he had digested all the martial arts knowledge and insights he had accumulated over the past few years, and further significant improvements would be difficult. He could only accumulate slowly.

With slow progress in his martial arts, Yue Fangxing began to think about leaving. He had not seen his parents and sister for a long time, and although he had been absorbed in practice, he now felt a strong longing for them. Moreover, yesterday, while shopping in a small town, he had heard that Liu Zhengfeng was going to retire from the martial world, knowing that the martial world would soon be in turmoil. He could no longer hold back.

It seems that some of my plans need to be put into action, Yue Fangxing thought. With this in mind, he left the place and headed south.